The Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) as an Indicator of General Well-Being

Abstract

Developed in the context of the subjective well-being movement in the 1970s, the Spiritual Well -Being Scale (SWBS) has stood the test of time. It was conceived within a theistic tradition and embodied the sense of well-being suggested in Biblical texts. The Old Testament greeting and blessing, shalom, seems to convey well the underlying concept of well-being. In this chapter we explore the empirical support and practical significance of the SWBS as a measure of well-being using the notion of biopsychosocial health as proposed by Engel and adapted by Sulmasy to include a religious/spiritual (R/S) dimension as well. Since the 1980s, thousands of studies have been completed and over 20 translations of the scale have been carried out. This chapter will concentrate on research since publication of Paloutzian, et al. Mr. Rogers used to sing, “Everything grows together because we’re all one piece.” Here our thesis is that everything goes together—biopsychosocial and spiritual—because humans function holistically. The SWBS captures this reality well. As a result, the SWBS functions as an index of well-being, an assessment instrument to identify those whose functioning is impaired, and an index of outcomes for interventions that seek to foster well-being.